We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised. Hebrews 6:12 NIV
Laziness wasn’t allowed in my home of
origin.
As a first-born child, my parents were out
to make me responsible. Early on, I was given chores: take out the trash, help
with the dishes, make my bed, clean my room. At twelve, I was using my parents’
push mower to cut neighbors’ yards for a small sum. When I turned fourteen, my
grandfather procured me a job as a bag boy at a local supermarket. As an added
source of funds, I also cleaned the church my father pastored. As soon as I
graduated high school, I entered the world of full-time work and have been
there ever since. There are days when I feel like being lazy—and am—but most of
my time is consumed with work and doing other things I enjoy. Sitting around isn’t
my style.
My parents didn’t appreciate laziness, and
it appears from this verse and many others that God doesn’t look favorably upon
it either. Yes, there is a time for rest—God demonstrated that by taking a day
off when he had finished the work of creation—but the norm is for us to work
diligently.
Although I’ve never been lazy where it concerns
secular work, there have been periods when I’ve been lazy with God’s business.
Those times when I just didn’t feel like attending church, reading my Bible,
saying my prayers, visiting the sick, checking on the shut-ins, teaching a
class, monitoring the nursery, etc. And, of course, when my attitude sours, it
becomes increasingly difficult to share or live out my faith. Inviting someone
to know Christ with a sour attitude and a face to match usually isn’t inviting.
Just as physical laziness will affect our
health, spiritual laziness will bear on our spiritual health. There are days
when we won’t feel like going to work, but we must go anyway. And there will be
times when Satan discourages us from doing God’s work, but we must maintain the
course, knowing that our labor for God is crucial and will be rewarded by him.
Has an attitude of laziness stolen your
joy and your effectiveness for God?
Prayer: God of glory and grace, when an
attitude of laziness steals our effectiveness for You, redirect our minds and
hands to the work before us.
Tweetable: What helps you overcome laziness?
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